DE and Brightspace Materials

by Cynthia Eaton — FA Secretary; Professor of English (Eastern Campus); Co-Chair of the College Distance Education Committee

Brightspace Modules—Spring 2024

I've created five modules for SCCC colleagues to import into their Brightspace class websites, which you can then modify, revise, and adapt to be appropriate for your course.

  • Course Syllabus: This module takes the required materials sent by the VPAA office in January 2024, adds a bit of the JEDI syllabus language, and breaks up each section of the syllabus into a separate page. This module approach to your syllabus increases the odds of your students actually reading your syllabus because 1) chunked information is easier for them to read and comprehend and 2) more students are accessing our class websites on mobile devices, so shorter pages are easier for them than long pdf or Word files you've uploaded. Of course, you will have to go through the pages and revise some of the information to be pertinent to your course rather than "ABC101: Introduction to College," but then you'll have it ready to copy into future sections with just the syllabus updates you normally make from semester to semester. 
  • Help with Your Courses — could also be renamed Academic Support: This module provides information and links to college resources that aim to provide the additional academic supports that students need to succeed, including academic learning & tutoring centers, the SCCC libraries, academic advising & mentoring centers, technology help, Disabilities Services offices, the College Catalog and Student Handbook, and how to access their Student Profile and Degree Works, how to add and drop classes, and more.
  • Navigating the College: This module includes materials to help students navigate college offices and procedures as well as our physical campuses. It includes information about the academic calendar, registrar, counseling services, financial aid, career services, admissions, ID cards & parking, and finally the campus maps with advice about commuting time between campuses.
  • Your Wellness, Health & Safety: This module focuses students' attention on critical areas such as emergency response, our mental health & wellness services, health services (nurses' offices), veterans services, and our campus public safety information.
  • Student Life/Campus Activities: This module includes lots of extracurricular activities and other useful resources at the college, including the wide range of campus activities offerings, athletics, the arts, SGA and CAB, campus food pantries, children's learning centers, the Center for Social Justice, multicultural affairs, and LGBTQ+ resources.

To import any of these into your class website, you need to do two steps.

A. First, download the modules from this website:

  1. Hover over this Brightspace Syllabus and Resources zip file, right mouse click, and select Save As.
  2. Save the file (name begins with D2LExport) on your computer.

B. Second, import the modules into your Brightspace class website:

  1. Log in to your Brightspace class website.
  2. Click Course Tools and select Course Admin.
  3. Click Import/Export/Copy Components.
  4. Scroll down and click Import Components, then Start.
  5. Navigate to where you saved the zip file, click the filename, then click Open.
  6. Click Import Course Package.
  7. Brightspace will notify you once it has been successfully imported to your Content area.

Don't forget to go into the modules and edit them—particularly the syllabus module, obviously. You can also revise the other module names, change the order in which they appear, add pages, etc. Feel free to email me if you have any questions or feedback along the way: cynthia@fascc.org.

Brightspace Basics—Summer 2022

Here are a few files I've created or share from D2L to help you navigate Brightspace. Don't forget this important file: Access Assistance (including SUNY Help Desk). 

Posting Course Materials for Students

Setting Up Ways for Students to Submit Assignments

Communicating with Students

 

WORD Articles on Distance Ed Issues

In the FA we also regularly publish articles in The WORD with information and advice about distance education, including the following: